The US won’t stop its support for the MKO

From 1350 to 54 some changes emerged within the organization, leading to its conversion to a Marxist organization. Meanwhile some of the imprisoned members of this organization tried to maintain the religious identity of the organization. In 1355-56, the external section of this organization changed its name to Paikar, and from then until the Revolution other groups like Razmandegan, Arman, and Nabard stemmed from this organization.

With the release of its prisoners, the MKO once again tried to continue with its past legacy. This time, within the years 1358-60, they hypocritically approached the Islamic Republic and its leader, and then started their military operations against the Islamic Republic from 1360 AH. Since they began their operations in Iran, wherever there was news of defenseless people being killed- including attacks on the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS)- this organization’s hands were involved as well.

Since the formation of the Iraqi national government, Iran was hoping to perhaps dismantle this organization in Iraq, but it hasn’t realized that aim yet. A few days ago, clashes erupted between Iraqi forces and the MKO in Camp Ashraf, which according to Sirous Borna, an expert on Iraqi issues, will continue to happen as long as the US and Europe continue their support for this organization.

IRD: Every once in a while we witness attacks on Camp Ashraf, but afterwards the MKO issue is put aside. What is the general policy of Iraq toward this organization?

SB: After the ouster of the Baathist regime in Iraq in 2003, the main issue of concern in the bilateral relations of the two countries- especially in the new Iraq- was the challenge of anti- Iranian groups and in this case specifically the MKO in Iraq, particularly those based north of Baghdad in Camp Ashraf.

It seems that since the beginning of the nation-government building process in Iraq, the US has agreed on two issues with the Iraqi national government:

1-      The establishment of bases in the North and South of this country

2-       The full-scale support of the US for the MKO, which seems to be a card which the US will always play

Therefore, we have to acknowledge that Iran in recent years has put a considerable amount of pressure on Iraq to dismantle the camp and most importantly expel the MKO from Iraq. But the truth is that there is no full agreement among Iraqi officials on the expulsion of the MKO, because currently we are witnessing many different sets of thinking in their government. The US is also not willing to give up its support for this group, due to its regional and national interests.

IRD: Is there any relation between the disclosures of an atomic plant in southern Tehran by the MKO and the recent clashes at Camp Ashraf?

SB: Another point which we have to refer to in recent events, is that one of the groups which is providing information to the West regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities is the MKO. Therefore, in the short term there’s no relation between the information they had on an atomic plant in southern Tehran and the recent pressures applied on them by the Iraqi government, but in the long run these measures taken by the organization will definitely affect Iraqi reactions.

In other words, just as in our bilateral relations with Iraq the Iraqi officials are asking their Iranian counterparts to stop their pursuit of war compensation from Iraq, Iranian officials are in return asking for Iraqi officials, including Nouri al-Makeki who is a prominent leader of the al- Dawa party, to pressure this group outside their country.

But as an expert on this area, I believe that although Iranian officials should continue their ongoing efforts, it is unlikely that the US or even the Europeans including France, Britain or Germany, will stop their support for this organization. And it seems that they will seriously intervene in the next few days to put an end to the current clashes in the area. 

IRD: Why do the Europeans support them?                

SB: The information available indicates that the MKO has been able to play a major role in some so-called democratic activities in the EU, and has been able to achieve a significant part of their support through different Middle East forums and seminars regarding Iran. However, it must be acknowledged that Iranian citizens all have a very negative image of this organization, in and the MKO has no social bases in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

IRD: It seems that there is some coordination with the US in all these clashes. What is the role of the US in your opinion? Is it true that the US is trying to offer some incentives to Iran by cracking down on the MKO?

SB: To answer this question I have to seriously emphasize two issues:

1- The US will under no condition offer the dismantlement of the MKO as an incentive

2- According to the UN resolution, all foreign troops are supposed withdraw from Iraq by 2011, which I think is not achievable. And as I mentioned above, I believe these confrontations in Camp Ashraf will end with the intervention of the US and European forces in the next few days. 

IRD: Therefore, since Maleki was supposed to make a final decision regarding this organization but nothing has happened so far, the influence and presence of US forces in Iraq is still quite remarkable now?

SB: Yes I should emphasize that Maleki did all that he could to force this organization out of Iraq, but there are other voices in the Iraqi government including President Talebani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani, the Sunni head of the Iraqi parliament, and a significant proportion of the technocrat and liberal democrat forces in Iraq that look at this organization from a different perspective. There are only three other groups that believe the MKO must immediately leave Iraq, which include some of the supreme assembly, some in the al- Dawa party and part of the forces called Sadr II or Moqtada Sadr.